Read our Grand Rapids Bariatric Surgery and Medical Weight Loss Patient Stories

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I only have one regret. That is not having the surgery sooner. I had the ds surgery. Today makes exactly 16 weeks from the day of surgery. Over Memorial Day weekend I got invited to Mackinac Island for a three day bachlorette party, with seven young women and a woman my age. I will be 53 next month, and I feel like I am living again. I would not have been able to walk the Island like I did. I kept up with the young women, went on a sailboat ride, put a bathing suit on in public, and walked at least 5 miles a day. Before surgery, I was too short of breath and tired so easily. THANK YOU GRAND HEALTH PARTNERS, for giving me my life back. Joan Austin.

NOW I CAN have my husband to share my life. NOW OUR KIDS can have their father to watch them grow up. NOW WE CAN grow old together. I am writing this from a different perspective. My husband had gastric bypass surgery 6 months ago. His weight at surgery was 415 with many comorbities, his highest weight was 468, his liver and kidneys were shutting down, he is currently at 228. He has his life back and I have my husband back. He no longer has high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol or countless other health problems, his liver and kidneys are coming back and he has a chance to live out his life. He has gone from 8 meds to 3 and I am sure soon will be off some if not all of the 3 remaining meds. I have noticed so many positive changes in him, he is so much more outgoing, enjoying his old passion of golf, riding a bike, being active with the kids, being more romantic, just generally HAPPIER. Ric had the Duodenal Switch procedure in October of 2009 with Dr. Kemmeter and he and his staff were amazing. My husband has never felt better. Thank you for giving me my husband back. I was so encouraged and proud of him and his progress that I had gastric bypass surgery as well with Dr. Kemmeter in December, I am doing great too and will post my story soon. Amy Collins, proud and happy wife

NOW I Can! I am 63 years young and now I feel even younger. The energy I have is just unbeliveable. You don't have to be young to do this, you just need a "want something better out of your life" attitude. Dr. Foote preformed my operation and I'm so greatfull, it is hard to express how I feel. I started my weight loss at 293 and as of 05/16/2010 I have lost 123 pounds! By this fall I will be at my goal weight of 140 to 150 pounds. I dropped weight so fast I couldn't keep up with my clothes, so I quit buying them at department stores and started to get everything from Goodwill to keep down the spending. I found you can get a lot of "almost new" clothing for close to nothing. This summer my husband and I plan to hit a lot of yard sales. This is something we can do together and something that we both enjoy. If you have been thinking about doing this don't stop with just the thought... do it! You'll never be sorry!

Now I can do...EVERYTHING! It has been 1.5 years since my Roux-en-y surgery and i have lost 190 lbs-more than 1/2 my weight! The changes in my life are phenomenal! I was injecting insulin 3x per day and 10 months after surgery...insulin free! I could not stand or walk around for more than 30 minutes without excruciating back and leg pain...and now I can walk and stand indefinitely PAIN FREE! this amazing journey has transformed me into a new and vibrant woman experiencing life again. This gave me the confidence to finally rid myself of an alcoholic husband. My sister used to call me the "I CAN'T girl"...everything she asked me to do...places she wanted to go...I always responded "I can't do that...I can't fit in that chair...I can't stand that long...I can't walk that far" etc...now my sister looks at me and says "Who are you and what did you do with my sister?!" I am so blessed to have had this surgery without difficulties and the kindness and caring staff at Grand Health Partners.

I had the DS with Dr. Kemmeter. I think my before and current pictures say it all! I'm down 111lbs and still losing. My post op life is great and I don't feel like I'm on a "diet" There are so many things I look forward to this summer... golfing, boating, amusement parks, bike riding, canoeing and just not being on the sidelines. It's amazing how 111lbs makes daily tasks much easier. I would highly recommend GHP to anyone considering weight loss surgery!

November 12th, 2009 To prospective patients of Dr. Paul Kemmeter and Grand Health Partners, I am essentially a bariatric surgeon’s worse possible nightmare. Not only a huge guy at 6’ 8” and 530+ pounds at the time of my procedure, but four previous major (open) abdominal surgeries resulting from an auto trauma has left me full of scar tissue and adhesions and nearly impossible to operate on safely. Two years of searching for a bariatric surgeon resulted in consultations and completion of the entire preliminary process with three separate prominent Michigan bariatric surgeons. All three physicians encouraged me and were positive regarding their ability to help me. All three independently concluded that a non-invasive (scope) procedure was impossible for me and all three eventually rejected me as a candidate for any type of bariatric procedure within two weeks of my scheduled surgery date. Explanations for my rejections varied, but I eventually came to believe that I was being rejected because I represented a poor prospect for surgery in terms of financial return on investment for the practices involved. The effects of two years of my effort and expense ending only in unceremonious rejection were devastating to me in both financial and emotional terms. Then by God’s grace I came to Grand Health Partners where I met Dr. Paul Kemmeter. Not only did Dr. Kemmeter successfully perform my bariatric surgery, he did so non-invasively using an arthroscopic procedure that the three other prominent Michigan bariatric surgeons said that for me, was not possible. To date I am down over 100 pounds and am still losing weight. I have recovered much of the joy of life that was lost to me for so many years. I know if you are reading this that you have likely suffered much of the same physical, emotional and social trauma that I did for so many years. I am writing this to assure you that you are now in the right place to get the help that you need and deserve. Through his enormous skill, dogged determination and first and foremost, commitment to genuinely helping his patients, I am giving my highest possible recommendation to Dr. Kemmeter and Grand Health Partners. Sincerely, Mark H Kalamazoo County, Michigan P.S. As a layman I am obviously not qualified to comment on any medical or behavioral issues, but if for any reason you would like to communicate with me regarding my bariatric surgery experiences or for additional reference, please do not hesitate to email me at the address below. And just for your information and reassurance… My relationship with Dr. Kemmeter is only that of a very happy patient. I have no other affiliation with the Doctor or with Grand Health Partners. bariatricsuccess@gmail.com

I had my surgery In January of 2006. It was a life changing experience. I was over 400 when I started, with the special diets. Now 3 years later I am down to 190 pounds. It helped that I was a lucky one that was able to get the excess skin and tissue removed from my stomach. I had that done October 14,2009. For the first time since I was in high school I can look down and see all of the tops of my legs. I can cross my legs to put my socks on. Never could do that. Sorry I don't have any pictures to put on here yet. thanks and don't be afraid to start the process to a new and better life. Thanks, Gladys Thompson

When I first met the staff, in their former office, I was 25 years old. I was referred to the clinic by my doctors office to do a food management class. I was overweight, but had no other complications. That class was not beneficial to me, because my weight loss was minimal. Six months later my doctor referred by back to the clinic. At that time I was 26, a single mother, insulin-dependent diabetic, had high-blood pressure and was 408 pounds. I woke up everyday with a sense of nothingness. I didnt feel like I was living life, but I was merely exsisting. I remember small everyday things that some people really dont pay attention to, but bothered me tremendously. Things such as tying my shoes, setting in a booth and even fastening my seatbelt became a huge task. I even had to sit in a special chair at church with metal legs instead wooden ones, because I had broken 2 already. That was the point I knew that I had to do something. I was given Dr.Kemmeter's name from a friend who had just undergone the surgery, right before my intial appointment. The staff was very helpful, informative and showed that they were genuinely concerned with my well-being. I dedicated myself to do whatever was necessary for my surgery to be as successful as possible. Dr. Kemmeter was the best doctor I have ever had the oppurtunity to work with. He was knowledgeable about his craft and made sure that any doubts that I had were answered. I knew my options, before making a decision and was not pressured into having a procedure done I wasnt comfortable with. We worked as a team to make sure I was fully prepared for what the future held for me. When the surgery date finally came I was nervous, excited, anxious and relieved all at the same time. I wasn't sure what to expect or how I would feel physically before or after the surgery, but Dr.Kemmeter and his assistant Todd were at my bedside ensuring me that the choice I had made would be one of the best. Needless to say, it has. I lost a total of about 180 pounds and was just 3 pounds away from what Dr. Kemmeter figured my goal weight would be. I am no longer taking ANY medicines for diabetes or hypertension and haven't been on them in over 2 years. One of the greatest achievements I have seen thus far was being able to conceive. I ive birth to a healthy baby boy on June 16, 2009. Years prior to my surgery, my Ob/Gyn told me that if I didnt lose weight I would not be able to have any more children. I know that without having worked with the Grand Health Partners staff that would not have been possible. I am extremely grateful for all the help and encouragement over these past years. Whenever I have an issue or concern, their staff is right there. I thank God, for being connected to such an AWESOME medical staff! I am even more thankful that I am finally able to more then just exsist...I can finally LIVE!

11/01/2009 Up-date--I just finished attending my 3 year follow-up visit after bariatric surgery with Dr. James Foote. I now weigh 135 pounds, wear a size 8 jeans, & have a BMI of 24. Prior to surgery I weighed approximately 285 lbs., wore a size 22 (or plus size 2x), & i would not have a clue if my BMI was even anywhere in a range easily calculated. I am so healthy, & grateful for the support of my family, the professionals, & the entire staff at GHP. What a great, supportive group of individuals. They do not stop their close follow-up! They remain active & vigilant in the quality of your care. I do Zumba an hour a day & I am going to try & teach myself "Core" Pilates. I have my life back. I feel empowered, confident, & again healthy. Listen to your body! It takes awhile (everyone will be different) to achieve total control ! Especially, do not overeat. STOP, when you begin to feel full. It takes approximately 20 minutes to actualize that full feeling. I wish you all the very best... Good health, good nutrition, & good exercising. Respectfully, Judi Cole I

In February of 2005 my father in law passed away. That was a big hit for our family and trying to explain this to my 4 year old son was even harder. It was not until almost a month later that I realized how he understood what we had told him and how much that conversation and his understanding would change my life forever. In early March of that year I was wrestling around on the floor with my 4 year old, Dillon. After wrestling for about 3-5 minutes I was out of breath and having trouble breathing. It seems that my 467 pound body could not keep up with the exertion of rolling on the floor for 3 minutes. As I sat up and pushed him away for a second, my wife asked if I was OK. To that I said “No, I’m dying here” (just a figure of speech, or so I thought). Just then, Dillon came running up to me, jumped on my lap with his arms around my neck, squeezing with all of his might and proclaimed “No Daddy!, don’t go see Jesus like Grandpa, I’ll be good”. At that point I do not think anything in this world could have hurt me, shocked me, nor affected me as much. It was at that point that I decided (between my tears of pain and realization) that I had to make a change and I had to do it NOW or tomorrow may never come and now, it was more important than ever that my tomorrows do keep coming. I have a little boy that wants and needs me. The next day I had an appointment with my Primary Care Physician for a regular check up. I decided that I would talk to him about it and see what he thought would be my best option. When I got to the point of asking him about my options, I asked what he thought of Gastric Bypass. He said that he never brings it up to people because they need to make that decision on their own but if someone brings it up he supports the idea and refers them to Dr. Baker’s office. He ended up getting me the phone number and I set up a free consultation and started researching the procedure, talking to people who had it and asking a million questions. After the consultation my insurance ended up requiring me to do the “medical” program before they would approve the surgical. That didn’t matter to me, I just wanted to live. Dillon needs me. I did the 17 week program, lost about 40 pounds, and was approved for the Roux en Y surgery. On July 18, 2006 I had the surgery done by Dr. Baker. He was top notch. He answered my questions, told the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of this procedure. He made every attempt to make sure that I completely understood the ins and outs of the process. His staff has always been top notch - from the receptionists when you walk in the door, to the nurses, Physician Assistants, Interns, and doctors. Now here it is, February 2009, and to date I have lost 257 pounds and feel better then I ever have before. Normally the story would stop here, but we are talking about a practice that does “more”. I am over 2 years out, and still talk with the Exercise Physiologist and Dietitian quite often. Andy Retberg (the Exercise Physiologist) has helped me set up a work out routine, figure out what clothes I would need to run in cold weather, showed me warm ups, cool downs, and even worked out another exercise program for me when I had my tummy tuck a year later. There seems to be no end to what he will do for me. He has been a great benefit and no matter how much I email or call him (and I do that a lot) he never lets me down. In every call or meeting I have with him, he makes me feel like I am the only one that he has to deal with that day. He is truly there every step of the way with passion and support like no other. You would think that “one” person in every office goes above and beyond and that is where it ends, but you couldn’t be more wrong. Christine Becker (Dietitian) has also been a priceless asset to my success. She has been there every step of the way. She has adjusted, re-worked, and supervised my needs and support. She has been there and told me “good job” when I deserved it, and also helped keep me down to earth when I came to her (almost in tears) because I gained TWO pounds...She laughed (in a positive and supportive manner) and reminded me that I was down 257 pounds of “fat” and was still lifting weights 4-5 times a week and running 5-7 days, the weight was going to be muscles and not “fat”. Once again Christine has proven herself a priceless asset to the team. These are just a few things that make Grand Health Partners the best place to go. Their support and true compassion for everyone is something that can not be matched anywhere. They offer so much to their patients to ensure that they are successful. I truly think that the only way they could possibly be any more supportive or help you out any more is if they followed you around slapping food out of your hand. Thank you to Andy for your unending support with my “physical” improvements, Christine for your food and nutritional support, Scott Glass (Behaviorist) for keeping my mind aware of what bad choice I was making and why, Physician Assistants Matt and Todd for all of your help in the hospital and when I come into the office, Dr. White for keeping me on track at my appointments, reminding me what past errors have been made and how I can avoid making them, Yvonne for believing in me even when I didn’t, Dr. Baker and Dr. Kemmeter for your support of me, your understanding of my fears, the prayers before surgery, and your support of my group here in Greenville. Last but certainly not least thank you to my wife Kelly and sons Dillon and Devon - without your love and support I know I would not of been nearly as successful as I have been. Just a side note: Kelly really did knock food out of my hand. Thanks, David Bramen To read more Grand Rapids bariatric surgery success stories, click the next link below.

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